1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a portable case for receiving and retaining electric hair clippers and other barber's accessories ordinarily used in barber shops and, in particular, to a case for receiving and retaining a plurality of electric hair clippers in a readily accessible position by a barber for intermittent use during hair cutting and then storage and transport, as required.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
It is common for barbers to utilize two or more sizes of electric hair clippers during hair cutting and, when an electric hair clipper is not being used, the hair clipper is typically laid on a counter adjacent the barber's chair. Movement of the barber about the chair during hair cutting may inadvertently snag the electric cord of the hair clipper which often partially hangs off the counter, thereby pulling the hair clipper off of the counter to fall to the floor. Moreover, a barber may not properly place the hair clipper onto the counter during hair cutting, whereby the hair clipper may fall or slide off of the counter as it is pulled by the weight of its own electric cord hanging off the counter. The hair cutting teeth of the hair clipper are somewhat fragile and can easily be broken in such a fall and, to the detriment of the barber, such a damaged hair clipper is extremely expensive to repair or replace.
A conventional solution for safeguarding against the accidental dropping of electric hair clippers is the attachment of a loop to the end of the hair clipper in proximity to where the electric cord extends from the hair clipper, referred to herein as the “bottom” of the hair clipper. A corresponding hook is attached to the edge or side wall of the counter adjacent the workspace of the barber so that the hair clipper may be hung in an “upside down” position along the side of the counter. Once the hair clipper is placed in a position wherein the hook extends through the loop, the hair clipper is relatively secure against inadvertently falling. U.S. Pat. No. 4,159,773 (Losenno) teaches this conventional solution in the field of beautician's tools such as hair dryers and curling irons.
An improvement to this “hanging” approach is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,379,903 (Smith) wherein the electric cord of each hair clipper is retracted into a box against which the hair clippers hang bottom-up in an upside down position. A disadvantage to the conventional solution, even when refined as disclosed in Smith, is that the electric cord of a hair clipper tends to extend below the hair clipper in the retained upside down position, causing the electric cord to bend or curve a full 180° after immediately extending from the hair clipper. This curvature places a large stress on the connection of the electric cord with the hair clipper and results in the electric cord developing a short circuit before the full life expectancy of the hair clipper otherwise enjoyed is fully realized.
A second disadvantage to the conventional solution is that the electric hair clipper is only relatively secure when the hook is extended through the loop. Thus, if the hair clipper slides from the barber's grasp while he/she attempts to place the loop over the hook, or if the barber prematurely releases the hair clipper believing that the loop and hook have engaged, the hair clipper will once again be dropped and subject to breaking.
Prior art approaches aimed at solving these problems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,871,074 (Bryson et al), 5,379,903 (Smith), 5,924,579 (DuPont et al) and Des. 435,185 (Winchester). These patents all disclose a rack of some sort in which a plurality of clippers may be placed to either hang or be lain in a manner that minimizes the danger of a clipper falling to the floor. A major disadvantage associated with all of these prior art racks is the lack of easy portability when a barber moves from location to location or even from chair to chair in a barber shop. In addition, of these patents only the Smith patent provides some means for receiving and retaining barber accessories other than clippers. Smith achieves this with a shallow tray extending forwardly from the bottom edge of a wall-mounted board. Unfortunately, the tray projects out from the hanging rack, at least partially into the barber's work space where it can inadvertently be bumped resulting in injury to the barber and possible dislodging of the rack.